Saturday, August 19, 2006

TIP OF THE DAY:

TIP OF THE DAY:

The SFI Gift Certificate program lets you offer your affiliates CHOICE DISCOUNTS on their EA-qualifying orders at the SFI Affiliate Store. Not only can this program help you increase the number of EAs in your network, it's also extremely simple to use.

Simply stop by the Gift Certificate Manager in the My Account section at the SFI Affiliate Resource Center.

Once there, you can create your Gift Certificate in four easy steps:

  1. Set up a Gift Certificate Account.
  2. Select "Purchase a Gift Certificate."
  3. Select the recipient, the discount amount you wish to offer, and a deadline on your offer.
  4. Click "Submit" when done.
The SFI system automatically sends your affiliate a special e-mail notifying them of the discount you've offered and the deadline. At the SFI Affiliate Store, your affiliates will receive the discount you've authorized right off the top! Over time, the Gift Certificate program can help you turn many "fence sitters" into active SFI Executive Affiliates and substantially grow your commission check. Even if you are offering Gift Certificates of as much as $20, you've added a new EA to your network - an EA who could very well remain an EA for months or even years to come (creating income for you for months or years). And who knows how many affiliates and customers they will bring to the table?

AND DON'T FORGET: You could earn a $30 cash bonus for every EA you develop. For every Team Leader you develop, you'll earn Business Builder Bonuses of up to $150. Up to $420 in total Business Builder Bonuses on each of your personally sponsored affiliates!

For more information and to get started on your Gift Certificate incentives, check out the Gift Certificate Manager.


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By generating at least 10 SVP in either personal purchases or retails sales in a month, you can DOUBLE your commissions!

Normally, you collect 40% CV commissions for each retail sale of an SFI product or service. However, when the products you sell or purchase yourself accumulate 10 SVP or more during a given month, your commissions automatically double to 80% CV commissions for ALL the products you've sold that month.

Click HERE for more details on the Retails Sales Program. OR...Click HERE to gain instant 10 SVP through a personal purchase.

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Studies show your chances of creating loyal customers soar to as much as 90% when you follow up within 24 hours of a transaction or inquiry. That rate drops to only 50% within 48 hours and 10% or less w/in 72 hours!



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You can easily add to your commission checks by taking advantage of SFI's ClickBucks program.

SFI affiliates may advertise the ClickBucks Gateway to generate new affiliates and earn $2 per affiliate, plus $1 in CV and .5 SVP per.

Affiliates generated via the ClickBucks program do NOT enter the downline of the person who generated them. Rather, all ClickBucks-generated affiliates flow into Eagle Co-op and are equally and randomly dispersed to Eagle Co-op participants.

In other words, if you participate in the ClickBucks program, you get paid upfront, but you give up all sponsorship benefits. Please make sure you carefully consider this before participating in ClickBucks.

The URL for the ClickBucks Gateway is:

http://www.ezinfocenter.com/XXXXXX/CB

IMPORTANT! For actual use, you'll need to replace "ezinfocenter.com" with the Gateway domain of your choice and replace XXXXXX with YOUR OWN SFI ID number.

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Most Asked Q&A's

Q.) I understand that if a new affiliate does not become an EA in their first 30 days with SFI, they are dropped from the T-Net. Does this mean they are no longer an SFI affiliate?

To send your affiliates answers to their questions, just access the specific Q&A that you or your team members are looking for, and click the "E-Mail This Q&A" link at the bottom.


A.) No. They will remain an affiliate in the program. However, they do lose their position in the T-Net network. Should they become an EA at a later time, they will be placed back in T-Net in the next available slot under their sponsor.

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Q.) How do I issue a gift certificate?

To send your affiliates answers to their questions, just access the specific Q&A that you or your team members are looking for, and click the "E-Mail This Q&A" link at the bottom.


Q.) SFI sounds to good to be true. There must be fees or a requirement to buy something, right?

To send your affiliates answers to their questions, just access the specific Q&A that you or your team members are looking for, and click the "E-Mail This Q&A" link at the bottom.
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How The SFI Program Works

NEW SFI RESOURCE:

New Article: How The SFI Program Works

Earning money with your SFI business is simple and can be broken down into the following basic actions:

  1. Sell SFI's products & services to customers through the SFI Retail Program and/or promote the SFI business opportunity.

  2. Advance to "Executive Affiliate" (EA) status & tap into the additional income streams of the Network Builders Program.

  3. Boost your earning power by teaching others to duplicate your efforts (maximize your Leveraged Income).

Now, let's take a few minutes and go into a little more detail about each of these three principles...

Read entire article:


https://www.sfimg.com/Training/HowSFIWorks.sfi




DID YOU KNOW ?

You can take concrete steps right now to ensure you maximize SFI's many new enhancements for your team building and commission increasing efforts:

1. Encourage ALL your team members to log into www.sfimg.com and complete Smart Start. SFI is requiring everyone, both new and old affiliates, to complete Smart Start again. This key component of the SFI system is needed to enable the PATH system for affiliates.

2. Make sure you have a good, solid understanding of how the new system flows. Then make whatever adjustments you need to make to your own support Websites, autoresponders, e-mails, Contact Manager messages, etc. Tip: No longer is it necessary to refer people to www.sfimg.com/get or to advise them specifically to complete Smart Start for example. Rather, the key now is to simply tell your affiliates to log in at www.sfimg.com and follow the directions.

3. If you haven't already done so, make SURE you have a New Affiliate Greeting message in place! Automatic new affiliate welcome messages are no longer sent out through Contact Manager.

To set up (or edit your existing) New Affiliate Greeting message, see:

https://www.sfimg.com/Resources/CongratsMessages.sfi


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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Money Grows In UK Cyberspace
by Yank Elliott, MBA & IAHBE Staff Writer

Is that really possible? What is Cyberspace anyway? Merriam-Webster OnLine defines Cyberspace as "the online world of computer networks." It's what we all use in our Internet businesses every day, and it often produces a bumper crop of money for entrepreneurial Cyber farmers. Use the principles discussed here to start your own money farm in Cyberspace...

Read the rest of the article:

http://www.iahbe.org/FreeContent/UKCyberspace.jsp


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EXPERT REPORT

General Home Business...

The Purpose Driven Business
by John Jantsch

I'd like to start this article off with a question. What's the purpose of a business? Or, perhaps more specifically, what's the purpose of your business? Do you ever think about that throughout the course of the day? Or, does it only haunt you at night or when you are trying to clear a jam in the copier?

Ten years ago I would have gone with Peter Drucker's answer - The purpose of a business is to create a customer. Today, after 25 years of business ownership and asking several hundred small business owners this very question, I would have to say that the real purpose of a business is to give the owner of that business more life, more freedom.

Read entire report:


https://www.sfimg.com/Training/NextStep.sfi#experts

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By generating at least 10 SVP in either personal purchases or retails sales in a month, you can DOUBLE your commissions!

Normally, you collect 40% CV commissions for each retail sale of an SFI product or service. However, when the products you sell or purchase yourself accumulate 10 SVP or more during a given month, your commissions automatically double to 80% CV commissions for ALL the products you've sold that month.

Click HERE for more details on the Retails Sales Program. OR...Click HERE to gain instant 10 SVP through a personal purchase.

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MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!

October 06, 2006 - Discuss this announcement...
To: All SFI Affiliates
From: Gery Carson, SFI President & Founder

I have some exciting news to share with all affiliates!

Yesterday, we flipped the switch on a new promotion designed to greatly increase the number of EA upgrades.

First, let me explain how this new promotion came to be. Since the changes made on 8/7/06, we've seen a huge increase in the number of new affiliates viewing our EA upgrade pages (example: www.sfimg.com/EA). However, we've not seen a similar increase in actual upgrades.

The reason, we believe, is that 99% of the people landing on our EA upgrade pages are brand new. Indeed, the vast majority are literally in their first few minutes, hours, or days in SFI. They land on the page to learn about upgrading, and their perception is that a purchase is required. It's not, of course—there are multiple ways to upgrade with no out-of-pocket costs, but those options are harder to understand, so they come away with the perception that a purchase is required to move to the next level of SFI.

And there's the rub: Because they are so new to SFI, there's been no trust built up yet. As far as they know, SFI is just one of those schemes that they've been told to avoid at all costs. Under these conditions, of course, making a purchase is one of the last things they're going to want to do. No trust = no sale!

Think about it: They just joined SFI under the belief that it was free, and almost immediately after they're now under the impression that SFI "just wants them to BUY stuff, that the free label was just a ruse." This is a horrible first impression for them to have and probably causes a large majority of new SFI affiliates to immediately dismiss SFI—never to return!

The key then is for SFI to assume all the risk, to make it possible for new affiliates to upgrade with little or no risk—a way that gives us time to win their trust.

That solution is now in place. Effective immediately, all new affiliates will have the opportunity to receive two free months IAHBE membership, plus advancement to the rank of EA with all EA benefits. New affiliates can now upgrade immediately to EA status with no obligation, no risk, and no cost.

What's the catch? There are only two, and they're small. One is that the deadline for the offer will be VERY short. Right now, it's set at just 3 days from sign-up. We will be testing other lengths to determine the "sweet spot"; it could be anywhere from three hours to five days.

The second "catch" is simply that we require a credit card, check, or money order for the third month of IAHBE membership to show us they are serious. However, the affiliate has a minimum of 60 days to cancel. If they decide not to continue with SFI within those 60 days, we'll delete their credit card info, tear up their check, or return their money order. No questions asked. Plus, all the IAHBE benefits (including the $1000+ IntroPak bonuses) and EA benefits during the 60-day trial period are all theirs to keep, no strings attached.

We believe this is VERY exciting offer that will be hard to resist!

Another reason why we are very excited about this new offer is that it has some serious URGENCY working for it (a time-tested, proven key to successful offers). That is, a very short deadline (we call it a "time fuse") that demands attention NOW, not later.

Up until today, that time fuse has been 30 days. Since, as I said, the vast majority of affiliates viewing the EA upgrade pages have only been in SFI for a few hours or a few days, 30 days away is an "eternity." In other words, we've basically not had "urgency" working for us at all.

So why not just keep the existing EA offer and just shorten the deadline? Some of you longtime SFI'ers will remember that in the past we've had a shorter deadline, but shortening the deadline has serious drawbacks (which is why it's been at 30 days for the last couple years).

What drawbacks? For starters, it just absolutely kills the international market due to most international affiliates not having credit cards or the ability to use them due to US bank restrictions. Without the ability to use credit cards, international affiliates are virtually EXCLUDED from participation in SFI, which is of course the last thing we want to do!

Our two free months (2MF) offer, however, allows our international affiliates plenty of time to get a payment to us. Indeed, 2MF EMBRACES the international, global marketplace and should allow SFI to start attracting many, many new EAs worldwide. And, pssssst, don't tell anyone, but an SFI Visa/MC debit card that will allow anyone who can't get a credit card to buy online AND get their SFI commissions paid to them instantly could be available later this year—which will make things REALLY start rocking globally!

ANTICIPATED QUESTIONS:

Q: How will I know who is a regular EA and who is one via 2MF?
A: We are today introducing the term "EAP'—as in "Executive Affiliate Pending." If you see an EAP on your genealogy, you will know they took advantage of the 2MF offer and are currently in the "trial period."

Q: How many of these new EAPs do you expect to remain with SFI and become standard EAs?
A: 2MF is a TEST, it's impossible to know for sure. HOWEVER, we expect at least 50%, and it could be much higher. Think about it. We're giving them a minimum of two months to get to know SFI without any risk. We're also allowing them to take advantage of hundreds of dollars of free goodies, all the financial benefits of being an EA, their position in T-Net locked in for two months, and more. We believe we're going to gain their trust and they're going to want to stick with SFI.

Q: Why TWO free months? Why not just one?
A: One month is simply not long enough in our opinion to win their trust and prove SFI's viability.

Q: Is there anything special we need to do differently now?
A: Yes! First of all, you'll want to get the word out to all of your brand new signups (right away when you receive the notification) that this special offer is available to them. Just tell them to log in at www.sfimg.com and the link for the offer will be waiting for them. Secondly, MAKE SURE you are at the beck and call of all your new EAPs! Remember, they may have taken advantage of 2MF, but they may still be very skeptical of SFI (remember, no trust = no sale). The biggest thing you can do to help ensure they turn into EAs is to be there for them! Be helpful and supportive! Show them why SFI is great and why they want to remain a part of your team. Do these things and you'll have the opportunity to build a HUGELY profitable organization with the new 2MF offer!

Q: Do I earn Business Builder Bonuses, etc. on affiliates who take advantage of the 2MF offer?
A: Yes, but not until they've moved from being an EAP to a standard EA. However, assuming there is a substantial increase in upgrades—and we expect there will be—you will come out WAY AHEAD of course.

Q: So no Business Builder Bonuses for two months?
A: No. You'll still be earning Business Builder Bonuses, etc. on any standard upgrades. The delay will only apply on affiliates upgrading via 2MF. But, remember, assuming there is a substantial increase in upgrades—and we expect there will be—you will come out WAY AHEAD, you'll just have to "wait out" the first two months on EAPs. From that point forward, you can be earning them every month.

Q: Why can't SFI just pay us now for EAPs?
A: It's simply not feasible. The amount of fraud such an offer would attract would be enormous.

Q: Why do you think a significant number of people who accept the 2MF offer will become standard EAs?
A: Remember, 100% of these new EAPs have either provided us with a credit card, a check, or money order—100%! Plus, not only do we have their payment starting with their third month, but (with the exception of the money order group), they've also authorized SFI to automatically charge their credit card or checking account EVERY MONTH THEREAFTER.

Here's another bonus: Many people absolutely will not put their credit card information online. With our new 2MF offer, we allow mail-ins of checks, money orders, and credit card info, which we believe will increase the upgrade percentage even higher.

Q: You say the 2MF deadline will be very short. What about AFTER the 2MF deadline? Are there any other special incentives to upgrade after 2MF is no longer available?
A: Actually, yes. The "Group ONE offer" is 2MF. The "Group TWO offer" is for five free new affiliates put in their downline (with them as sponsor) if they upgrade by a second deadline. The "Group Two Offer" will run from the end of the 2MF deadline to probably the affiliate's 15th day in SFI. At this time there are no plans for anything beyond 15 days. This is primarily because, historically, over 90% of all upgrades occur in the first 15 days, and because going EA is "its own reward."

Q: Do EAPs count towards rank advancement? Example: Can someone become a BTL by just sponsoring two EAPs?
A: No. Only when those EAPs become standard EAs will they count toward rank advancement.

Q: Anything else I should be doing?
A: Yes, if you're a Team Leader, make sure you are operating a POWERLINE Co-op! Why? A large number of the people who land on our EA upgrade pages arrive there because they received an NGR (Network Growth Recap), and it is by building a Powerline that generates the largest number of NGRs for you.

Anyway, these affiliates have already been partially sold on SFI because they've just been informed of new affiliates having been placed in their downline (that's why they went to the EA upgrade page). Now when they land on the EA upgrade page (assuming they are still within the 2MF deadline), they'll be informed they can lock in their position, secure their new downline, etc. for two full months, absolutely free.

Talk about your "one-two punch"! They've got a downline already started and now they can upgrade FREE. Wow!

Not only that, assuming you keep building that Powerline, they can continue to see lots of continual growth in their downline during their 60-day "trial period." There's also a very good chance that many EAs and EAPs will start popping up below them, which means that during their trial period they could start seeing nice-sized commission checks (or at least see the potential for it in the near future), which will make becoming/remaining an EA just that much more attractive.



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#### GIFT CERTIFICATE SAMPLE LETTER ####

NOTE: Feel free to use and/or alter this sample letter to suite your own needs when notifying your affiliates of a Gift Certificate you've created for them.

Dear [NEW AFFILIATE NAME],

I am delighted that you've joined my SFI team!

As your SFI sponsor, I'm here to help you get off to a fast and profitable start. My success is tied directly to yours, so please don't hesitate to contact me to assist you with anything...anytime.

One thing I like to do to help the newest members of my team is to give them a free SFI gift certificate. If you're ready to get serious with SFI right away, I will send you an electronic $20 gift certificate you can use toward SFI's most popular products. If you'd like to take advantage of my offer, just send me an e-mail at [YOUR E-MAIL@ADDRESS] and mention the gift certificate.

Once again, welcome to SFI. I look forward to working with you!

Sincerely

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR CONTACT INFO]

Gift Certificate FAQ

Q: What is the Gift Certificate Program?

A: The SFI Discount Certificate Program is a tool designed to help increase the number of EAs in your network, allowing you to offer your personally referred affiliates CHOICE DISCOUNTS on their EA-qualifying orders at the SFI Affiliate Store.

Q: How does this program work?

A: It's simple: just go to the Gift Certificate Manager in the My Account section at the SFI Affiliate Resource Center; scroll down to the bottom of the page and select "Purchase a Gift Certificate." Then, select the recipient, the discount amount you wish to offer, and a deadline on your offer. Click "Submit" when you're done.

The SFI system then automatically sends your affiliate a special e-mail notifying them of the discount you've offered and the deadline. There will also be a special link included to quickly and easily access and choose an EA-qualifying product or products from the SFI Affiliate Store—your affiliates will receive the discount you've authorized right off the top! These redemptions will be deducted from a special account you will fund.

Q: How do I fund my Gift Certificates?

A: To add funds to your special Gift Certificate account, just access the Gift Certificate Manager page and click the "Add Funds" link. Enter the amount you want to set aside for your Gift Certificates and the method of payment. Click "Submit" when you're done. IMPORTANT: Once you authorize a Gift Certificate, SFI immediately applies that amount to the funds in your special account.

Q: How does the Business Builder Program help me offer Gift Certificates?

A: The new Business Builder program lets you earn more than $25 for each personally sponsored EA affiliate. Hence, you can offer a $5, $10, $15, or even $20 discount for giving SFI a try. This gives your affiliates a GREAT incentive to upgrade to EA, while costing you nothing in the end! In addition, providing a offer deadline will motivate them to take action sooner rather than later.

Q: Why would I want to offer Gift Certificates to my affiliates?

A: Over time, the Gift Certificate program can help you turn many "fence sitters" into active SFI Executive Affiliates and substantially grow your commission check. Even if you are offering Gift Certificates of as much as $20, you've added a new EA to your network—an EA who could very well remain an EA for months or even years to come (creating income for you for months or years). And who knows how many affiliates and customers they will bring to the table?

Q: Where can I view the Gift Certificates I've authorized?

A: You can view your Gift Certificates at any time and Gift Certificate Manager page.




#### NEW AFFILIATE GREETING SAMPLE LETTER #####

NOTE: Feel free to use and/or alter this sample letter to suite your own needs when welcoming your new affiliates to SFI. To create a Gift Certificate for your new members, see this page.

=============================================

Greetings New SFI Affiliate...

I am delighted that you've joined my SFI team!

As your SFI sponsor, I'm here to help you get off to a fast and profitable start. My success is tied directly to yours, so please don't hesitate to contact me to assist you with anything...anytime.

One thing I like to do to help the newest members of my team, who have not made their "first" SFI purchase, is to give them a FREE gift certificate. If you're ready to get serious, I will send you an electronic $20 gift certificate you can use toward SFI's most popular products.

If you'd like to take advantage of my offer, just send me an e-mail at [YOUR E-MAIL@ADDRESS]. Include this message text and mention the gift certificate in the subject.

Once again, welcome to SFI. I look forward to working with you!

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR CONTACT INFO]

Gift Certificate FAQ

Q: What is the Gift Certificate Program?

A: The SFI Discount Certificate Program is a tool designed to help increase the number of EAs in your network, allowing you to offer your personally referred affiliates CHOICE DISCOUNTS on their EA-qualifying orders at the SFI Affiliate Store.

Q: How does this program work?

A: It's simple: just go to the Gift Certificate Manager in the My Account section at the SFI Affiliate Resource Center; scroll down to the bottom of the page and select "Purchase a Gift Certificate." Then, select the recipient, the discount amount you wish to offer, and a deadline on your offer. Click "Submit" when you're done.

The SFI system then automatically sends your affiliate a special e-mail notifying them of the discount you've offered and the deadline. There will also be a special link included to quickly and easily access and choose an EA-qualifying product or products from the SFI Affiliate Store—your affiliates will receive the discount you've authorized right off the top! These redemptions will be deducted from a special account you will fund.

Q: How do I fund my Gift Certificates?

A: To add funds to your special Gift Certificate account, just access the Gift Certificate Manager page and click the "Add Funds" link. Enter the amount you want to set aside for your Gift Certificates and the method of payment. Click "Submit" when you're done. IMPORTANT: Once you authorize a Gift Certificate, SFI immediately applies that amount to the funds in your special account.

Q: How does the Business Builder Program help me offer Gift Certificates?

A: The new Business Builder program lets you earn more than $25 for each personally sponsored EA affiliate. Hence, you can offer a $5, $10, $15, or even $20 discount for giving SFI a try. This gives your affiliates a GREAT incentive to upgrade to EA, while costing you nothing in the end! In addition, providing a offer deadline will motivate them to take action sooner rather than later.

Q: Why would I want to offer Gift Certificates to my affiliates?

A: Over time, the Gift Certificate program can help you turn many "fence sitters" into active SFI Executive Affiliates and substantially grow your commission check. Even if you are offering Gift Certificates of as much as $20, you've added a new EA to your network—an EA who could very well remain an EA for months or even years to come (creating income for you for months or years). And who knows how many affiliates and customers they will bring to the table?

Q: Where can I view the Gift Certificates I've authorized?

A: You can view your Gift Certificates at any time and Gift Certificate Manager page.